Chimney cowls and ventilating devices



Jan. 30, 1962 c. E. BREWER CHIMNEY COWLS AND VENTILATING DEVICES Filed Sept. 2, 1958 FIGJ INVENTOR Clifford 17" d/flufld Brewer ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,018,714 CHIMNEY COWLS AND VENTILATING DEVICES Clifford Edmund Brewer, Lucky Stars, Lagoon Road, Lilliput, Parkstone, Dorset, England Filed Sept. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 758,537 Claims priority, application Great Britain Dec. 23, 1957 2 Claims. (CI. 98-66) This invention relates to chimney cowls and ventilating devices, e.g. to cowls of the type including a sleeve like vertical portion adapted to be located in co-axial relationship upon or within the chimney or within an air outlet of a room or the like, and such sleeve like or suitably shaped portion carrying at its upper end an enlargement known as cowling or terminal suitably shaped to create a reduced pressure in the flue or air duct.

According to the invention, a chimney cowl or ventilating duct terminal is provided in which the sleeve like vertical portion is not of a fixed diameter or dimension, but embodies constructional characteristics which permits the diameter of the sleeve like portion to be variably adjusted and to be maintained at a desired adjusted diameter.

It is not the intention of the following description to focus on any particular shape of cowling or terminal, but more to emphasize the manner in which the invention may be embodied in cowling or terminals of varying shape and design, also that the invention may be adapted to such cowling whether made of sheet metal or other known suitable materials.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a sectional elevation taken along the line I-I of FIG. 2 of one form of construction according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan View of a known shape of air duct terminal or chimney cowl in which my invention may be embodied.

FIG. 4 is a part sectional elevation of an alternative construction of a detail of the construction shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 5 and 6 respectively show details of the construction of FIG. 1 arranged as more fully described herein.

In the embodiments shown sheet metal is used in the construction and FIGS. 1 and 2 show the invention embodied in the construction of a chimney cowl provided with a tubular band 1 which supports in known manner a cowling (not shown). The traditional type of vertical sleeve for insertion into the chimney pot is omitted, and in its place a sleeve formed of four curved members of sheet metal 2 and 3, (more or less members may be employed) is provided. Two of the said curved members 3 have fold-over top and bottom edges 3a which accommodate corresponding edge portions of the curved members 2, so that the members 2 and 3 are relatively circumferentially slidable to vary the diameter of the sleeve. To each of the said four members is riveted or otherwise secured a bracket 4 which preferably is in the shape of a letter P. The leg of same is centrally located and riveted as at 4a to the corresponding curved member 2 or 3, while the upper end has two holes 5 and 6 located in alignment to accommodate a bolt 7. The holes 5 and 6 of each bracket 4 are screw threaded to receive the screw threaded portion of the said bolt 7. Adjacent the lower edge of the tubular band 1, and at equidistance, four holes 8 are provided each of which registers with aligned holes 9 in a respective bracket 10 of inverted P shape which is riveted as at 10a to the tubular band 1.

3,018,714 Patented J an. 30, 1962 It will now be seen that each bolt 7 will be accom-- modated in the respective holes 8 and 9, and'pass through to the holes 5 and 6 of the bracket 4 in screw threaded engagement therewith in a manner to establish complete alignment of the said four holes.

I It will now be appreciated that upon turning the bolts, in one direction or the other, the corresponding curved members will be moved towards or away from the tubular band, the members thus sliding one with respect to another to increase or decrease the diameter of the sleeve, thereby to adjust the sleeve to the-inner peripheral wall of the chimney pot.

The bolts are each furnished with a hole (not shown) at their inner most end, which serves to accommodate a split pin or the like for preventing the bolt from becoming removed from the bracket 4.

The plan view of -a known shape of chimney cowl is shown in FIG. 3, and sets out alternative locations, A and B around the tubular band at which the brackets 4 and 10 may be located to be secured together, by means of the 7 bolts 7 as hereinbefore described.

An alternative method of forming the variable diameter sleeve is shown in FIG. 4, in which one curved member 2 is slidably supported on a curved member 3 by means of lugs 11 punched out from the member 3 adjacent each end thereof and engaging over corresponding end portions of the member 2. Means may be used for varying the vertical location of the sleeve member co-axially in relationship with the tubular band by providing a vertically disposed elongated slot in each of the four curved members 2 and 3 as shown in broken lines at 12 to permit the brackets 4 to be vertically adjustably secured to the curved members by fixing elements extending through the brackets and through the elongated slots.

It will be seen that the brackets, whether of the shape shown, or of any other formation, must provide for a rigid alignment of the holes which accommodate the bolt 7 for co-action therewith. By reversing the bracket 4 in relationship with the bracket 10, as shown in FIG. 6, the maximum diameter to which the sleeve formed by the members 2 and 3 can be adjusted, is increased by an amount corresponding to twice the radial thickness "x of the upper end of a bracket 4. In this construction the brackets 4 will be secured to the inner face of the corresponding member 2 or 3.

This invention provides a simple but elfective means of securing a cowl to a chimney pot, and in particular to a chimney stack head, where the current trend of architecture does not provide an exposed chimney pot.

A secondary, but by no means an unimportant feature of this invention is that the retailer is able to reduce his stockholding in the ratio of about 4 to l as against the stockholding of fixed spigot cowls.

What I claim is:

1. A cowl for a chimney or like flue, comprising a plurality of curved segmental members arranged one adjacent to the other to form a tubular sleeve, guide means on one of each adjacent pair of segmental members whereby the latter are circumferentially slidable in relation to each other to permit variation of the diameter of the sleeve, the sleeve having a first portion engageable within the chimney or like flue, and a second portion extending outwardly of the chimney or like flue when the first portion is engaged therein, a tubular band surrounding the second portion of the sleeve in spaced relation thereto, radially adjustable radially extending means securing the tubular sleeve to the tubular band in such manner that radial adjustment of the radially extending means produces relative sliding movement of the segmental members to vary the diameter of the sleeve, in which said radially adjustable securing means comprises a plurality of first bracket-like members equal in number to the number of segmental members of the tubular sleeve, each first bracket being attached to the tubular band at a location opposite the longitudinal centre line of a segmental member, an aperture extending through each said first bracket and the tubular band, a plurality of second brackets, one secured on each segmental member and centred on the longitudinal centre line thereof, a screw threaded aperture in each of said second brackets, bolts extending through the said first brackets and the tubular band and having screw threaded portions engaging in the screw threaded apertures in said second brackets whereby rotation of said bolts in one direction or the other moves the segmental members radially towards or away from the tubular head to vary the diameter of the sleeve member, in which an axially directed slot is formed in each segmental member, and in which the second brackets are adjustably secured to the segmental members by fixing elements extending through the brackets and the slots whereby the tubular band can be axially displaced relative to the tubular sleeve.

2. A cowl for a chimney or like flue, comprising a plurality of curved segmental members arranged one adjacent to the other to form a tubular sleeve, guide means on one of each adjacent pair of segmental members whereby the latter are circumferentially slidable in relation to each other to permit variation of the diameter of the sleeve, the sleeve having a first portion engageable within the chimney or like flue, and a second portion spaced axially of the first portion to extend outwardly of the chimney or like flue when the first portion is engaged therein, a tubular band surrounding the second portion of the sleeve in spaced relation thereo, a plurality of first bracket-like members equal in number to the number of segmental members of the tubular sleeve with each first bracket-like member being attached to the tubular band at a location opposite the axially extending centre line of a segmental member, an aperture formed to extend through each said first bracket and the tubular band, a plurality of second brackets, one secured on each segmental member and centred on the axially extending centre line thereof, a screw threaded aperture formed in each of said second brackets, and bolts extending through the said first bracket and the tubular band, and having screw threaded portions engaging in the screw threaded apertures in said second brackets whereby rotation of said bolts in one direction or the other moves the segmental members radially towards or away from the tubular band to vary the diameter of the tubular sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 638,172 Burress Nov. 28, 1899 715,968 Britton Dec. 16, 1902 2,482,577 Dahlstrom Sept. 20, 1949 2,522,995 Coleman Sept. 19, 1950 2,536,235 Steelman Jan. 2, 1951 2,581,992 Wilder Ian. 8, 1952 2,582,905 Harmon Jan. 15, 1952 

